I wrote this several years ago, and thought I'd share it based on some trends I've been seeing in some threads:
Fellowship, a concept that is totally misunderstood these days. Many people in the church think they fellowship with one another, just because they come to church several times a week. They come there, and say, "Hi," to a few people, shake a few hands, smile, and then go out and eat together after service. A few even venture to do some things together outside of church functions.
But I tell you, this is not fellowship. What is fellowship? Fellowship is a relationship entirely based off intimacy.
Intimacy involves fully giving, and fully receiving. Giving fully, all that you are, and fully receiving all that of what another is, and gives. As believers, this intimacy, this fellowship, begins with a relationship with Christ. A relationship where we dwell in the light of God.
...God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another... (1 John 1:5-7)
When we have an intimate relationship with Christ, we too, can have it with other believers. We enter into intimacy with Christ, and dwell in His Light when we live our life for Christ, when we obey His commands. If we are living in darkness (sin) then not only do we lose intimacy with Christ, but, with other believers. With intimacy, two fully give and recieve, becoming one (Genesis 2:24). If one lives in darkness, and another in Light, there is a seperation. Those in darkness do not receive the Light, and those in light do not receive the darkness. Since both sides are not able to receive eachother, intimacy is broken.
Understanding this principle of intimacy, we can understand how we are to fellowship with eachother in a spiritual manner. Fellowship with belivers first begins when we have fellowship with Christ. For as Christ lives in the Light, we as believers too live in the Light, and have access to one another, for we all have the same dwelling. Since we have access to one another, we need to be intimately involved in the lives of other believers.
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)
Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:10)
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. (1 John 3:16-18)
...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us; (Hebrews 12:1)
You must get into their lives. You must learn their struggles, and they must learn yours. Your struggles are to become theirs, and theirs are to become yours. We are to love eachother. We love eachother by extending a helping hand, and fulfill the law by love, and bearing one anothers burdens, in the same manner Christ did for us, by laying down our lives for one another. Notice the last verse, that teaches that the rest of our life is a race. But, also notice all the verses before it. We must run a race, one where we help eachother out. You know what that is? That is a three-legged race!
I remember a very bad experience when I was in 6th grade. My friend Chris and I had joined up to enter a three-legged race. Because we were not working together, I ended up falling down about half way through the race. But, my partner, he kept trying to go. He kept trying to drag me and drag me along selfishly. Not only did we not win the race, we did not complete it. Not only did we not complete it, but I ended up hurt, straining my ankle because he kept trying to drag me along with him.
See, Chris and I were not bearing the burdens of eachother. Selfishness had taken over, and our race became a disaster. In the same way, this has happened in the Church!
We have failed as a church to help eachother! We have failed out of our selfishness, out of our "protestant work ethic", out of laziness, and out of simply not caring! Let's look at something...
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept felling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possesions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47).
This is one of several passages throughout the New Testament that people often use to demonstrate many things. There have been many attempts to mimic the pattern of the first church throughout history, and even today. But, time and time again, failure. Why has there been failure? People have been forever trying to mimic the motions, but they do not understand the heart of those who this passage mentions. People have gone and sold everything, only to end up in ruin. Especially today, the concept of the "house church" or "cell group" has become very popular. Many have broken away from church after church, to start a house church. Or many churches small and large have thought to have "cell groups" which can often be held at another persons house. But we are WRONG if we think this is the model for the New Testament church!
The RIGHT model is not the where, but the why! Why were there "cell groups" and "home churches" in the New Testament Church? Because believers are so involved in the lives of other believers, that there was no better place to have a meeting! There at home, they worshiped together. There, they prayed together. There they ate together. There, they heard sermons, and teachings, and prophecies, and tongues, and there the dead received life! Unelss this is the pattern of our Church, all the cell groups, and house churches that are poppping up over the land, these will fail! It's the why, not the where!
Also, many people often think that we need "small" churches, ones that really never get bigger than 500. Many will often leave a church when they start getting larger than this, simply because they think it is less personal. They think that it is impossible to be personal in a large church. But take note, the Church in Acts 2 had around 3,000 members, and were growing daily! Yet, they did not fail to be involved in the lives of other believers. The amount of members does not matter, but what you do within them does. You can be just involved in the lives of others in a small church as you can a large church. If you are not finding this to be true, it's because you are not praying for such to happen, nor going that extra mile to make it happen.
Sharing your possesions became natural in the lives of these people. After all, they were sharing all that they were, so why not just share your possesions. You become so consumed in their life that not sharing your possesions with them would be considered neglecting your own needs!
Finally, I'd like to close with this. We are called to carry our own cross (Luke 14:27), and live the crucified life, just as Christ did. But I want you to remember this, and remember it well: Even Jesus had somebody help him carry His cross.
When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.
Luke 23:36
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Jimmy H
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